


Drown

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: DC Cinematic Universe, Justice League (2017), Justice League - All Media Types, The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Barry Whump, Drowning, Gen, Hurt Barry, Poor Barry, Team Feels, Tears, Whump, helpful team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 12:03:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12770679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: Three times Barry almost drowned and one he didn't.Barry is afraid of drowning, but finds himself in that situation more often than he'd like.Barry whump, justice league to the rescue :)





	Drown

There were many things that Barry was afraid of, and many things he wasn't afraid of anymore. For example, he knew that thanks to his accelerated clotting speed, it was almost impossible for him to bleed out. He could recover from blows to the head and general being thrown around better and quicker than other people, too. His healing abilities allowed to do many things and still remain at least semi-whole. 

He had less headaches, too and was less likely to catch cold or stomach viruses. In fact, sickness in general wasn't one of Barry's many worries. He had been sick as a little kid often, but after everything that had changed in him it was normal that he simply wasn't anymore. So general illnesses didn't scare (unless it was like the plague, or anthrax or alien sicknesses – alien things were always tougher for the body) but there were many things that id scare him. 

Like not seeing a wall and crashing into it at super high speed, accidentally killing somebody while trying to save them because he forgot to slow down and their body couldn't take the velocity, and some of classics, like torture, being buried alive and drowning. Yes, there were many other things that frightened him but those were probably on the top. 

He didn't know if he would be able to keep quiet if they tortured him, and that scared him. This super healing meant he didn't have long recoveries after getting injured and his threshold for pain was relatively low. And it wasn't such an impossible scenario, they had many enemies, and one way those enemies could have of getting info was to take one of them and play with him until they heard what they wanted. 

And Barry was probably the weakest link of the team, or at least looked liked it to the eyes of an outsider. He didn't have muscles, didn't have an impressive armour, or was part robot, or part god. He was fast, and fast in a way that could even bend space time, but the baddies didn't know that. They just saw a skinny kid. Was nowhere 

And drowning... There was nothing his super healing could do about drowning, his lungs couldn't expel all the water that was supposed to be there. They could get better fast if they were cut or collapsed, but water in them? No can fix. And Barry didn't dislike being in the water, and he was a good swimmer but still... There was something about large bodies of water and their currents that frightened him. 

Unfortunately, he was right to be afraid. 

I.

“Ok, Victor, you take the hostages somewhere; Diana, follow the lead of the robots; Arthur, I want you and Barry...” Bruce stopped in his tracks, an looked around. “Where the hell is Barry?”

They had been fighting a scientist-gone-rogue and her one million tiny robot and helicopters on top of a lake, of all places. It had been a dangerous balance and while Arthur was totally on his element, the rest of them weren't. The woman had retreated after her main robot had been broken in two by laser vision, and the members of the justice league were trying to catch their breath while sitting on a powered down robot that was floating on the deep lake, wet and tired. But their mission hadn't ended, not yet and they all of them were needed to finish it properly. 

And the Flash was nowhere to be found. 

“Has he really taken off?” Bruce asked, not believing the kid would bail like that. “Where is he?”  
And then Clark's expression became stern. 

“Underwater.”

Before the kryptonian could even move, Aquaman was already diving at a break neck speed. He had lost sight of his younger team mate some time ago, and although he knew that Barry could take care of himself, he'd been worried. Bog bodies of water could be treacherous, and Barry had already been pretty drained after demolishing an entire squadron of robots and drones by himself, going one by one. 

It only took feeling a bit dizzy, losing his balance on the robot-made-boat and voila, he was falling to the bottom of the lake, to inevitably drown. That poor kid, after all the work he'd done, all the smiled and all the courage he gave to the victims of madmen and criminals... and he couldn't catch a break. 

Mother dead, father in jail, was struck by lightning and now he was at the bottom of the lake. Arthur knew he didn't have time for contemplation, as the human body couldn't go too long without oxygen. He needed to find Barry and get him out as soon as possible. He should be easy to see, with his re suit, but in hat moment he couldn't see anything. How far could he have sunk?

And then there it was, a crimson glimmer some metres below him. Yes, he finally found him and swam towards him quick as... well, quick as lightning. It was absolutely disheartening, how light he was, how unmoving, how manageable. Arthur took the boy by the chest and swam up, hoping he wasn't too late.

 

II.

“I`ve got one!”

Good. Paul had been trying to get one of those Justice league-rs for a long time, to get their secrets. He was an old fashioned kind of criminal, and knew that the best way to get reliable information was from the inside. The plan was easy, take one of them, scare them into talking and then kill them. 

Which meant that it would be one hero less to worry about, which was always good. Together, they were near undebatable, but one on one... Not so much. 

“Which one?”

“The fast one in the red suit. I pumped him full of that mix you gave me, that suppresses their abilities and makes them get all limp. I feel a bit bad, he's just a kid.”

Paul had figured if they did catch one of them, Flash was very likely. Wonder Woman and Superman were a bit too much even for the likes of him, and Cyborg could easily get away if they couldn't short him out. But this was, like his underling had said, a kid, and there wasn't much he could do. 

“Then you should probably leave. The next part won't be pretty.”

It wasn't going to be, not at all. Barry was chained in the hands and feet and was in for a nasty surprise.

Paul had a bucket full of ice-cold water and he was going acquaint a certain hero with it. Repeatedly. Yes, some people were bigger fans of waterboarding with the cloth and what not, but Paul preferred things to be real. To make him feel like he was drowning him because he was actually doing it. That way the fear could be real, and the boy would know what the stakes were. 

Barry woke up to a sudden sensation of cold, incredible cold and not being able to breathe. It took him his drug-slowed mind a couple of second to realise that his head was under water, that someone was holding him down. Out of instinct, he struggled, move around, and realised that he was actually making things worse, as he swallowing more water this way. Oh, shit. 

He was held under for an excruciatingly long time, and when he thought he was going to pass out, suddenly someone took him out, and he was free again. He took the longest breath of his life, and coughed, loudly and many times. He couldn't recognise the man that was holding him, and couldn't get out of those restraints, or use his super speed. 

Damn. He'd known that there was an anti-speed drug running around in the criminal circles, but he thought he would have time to neutralise the dealers before ever being on the bad end of it. Now he was powerless, unable to move and so incredibly dizzy. And he was cold and he had nearly drowned so it was difficult thinking straight. 

“The Flash... sorry about that introduction, but I'm in a nit of hurry. I am going to need you to tell me the names, hideouts and weak spots of all your justice league buddies.”

“Never!” Barry muttered, hardly thinking. 

“Well, then.”

And suddenly Barry's head was in that cold water again, and he hardly had had time to get his breath back before, oh god, oh no, he was going to die! He tried to think, about a way in which he could get out, don't panic for the love of god, don't panic! But it was tough, he was really scared and he couldn't breathe, oh god, he couldn't breathe! Moving around only made things worse, but staying still wasn't fixing anything. He fought his chains, and the grip of that man, but he was weakened by the rough treatment, and the man was strong, and...

“Convinced now, Flash?”

Barry really didn't want to go back to the water. It was horrible and cold and the sensation of not being able to do anything was.... Agony. But he wasn't going to give his friends up, and if invented some information to appease the man then he would have what he wanted, and wouldn't need him anymore. He would probably kill him, now that he was weak and...slow. In a position perfect for a quick execution.  
He didn't say anything as he tried to get his breathing back on track. The man was getting angry, and Barry knew what was coming. A couple of tears fell, near invisible among all the water droplets. And then there was more water. 

The water hurt him. How cold it was, and how invasive, making its way through all the corners of his respiratory system. It hurt his throat, it hurt his lungs. Barry hurt, and continuously tried to get it out, but every time he coughed, more water got in and he moved, and thrashed, hoping that maybe this time he would break free, but nothing. He couldn't. He was doomed. Doomed die drowned, held under water by some nameless criminal while he could do nothing. It felt a bit... underwhelming. 

He thought about his dad, and how he hadn't been able to clear his name. Thought about his mum, who had such high hopes for him. Thought about his team mates, and hoped that his death wouldn't affect them too much. Thought about all the things he was going to miss out on. There was more water and he didn't have strength to continue fighting. 

He never heard the others breaking down the door, didn't register any part of their rescue. Not Victor throwing Paul across the room, or Diana checking if he was alive. He didn't feel anything as Clark took him in his arms (careful, but with urgency) and flew him to some medical care. 

When he woke up again, there was no water. His friends were looking own on him, others in the computers. He was in a warm, dry bed and in a familiar place and he hadn't given his friends up. That was a good day. 

“You're awake!” Diana said, looking pleased. “Can I get you something? More pillows, a glass of water?”

Barry shuddered at the mention. 

“Absolutely not.”

III.

Superman was wearing a kryptonite collar, kyptonite shackles and was surrounded by a circle of kyrptonite rocks by his feet. Which meant that he could hardly keep his eyes open and move, much less get up and help his team mate, who so desperately needed help. After surrounding him with kryptonite, they had thrown Barry into an inescapable glass container filled with water. 

Clark watched, impotent, as Barry kicked the glass, punched it but got nothing. He could see the boy's panicked expression, could see the bubbles coming out. Barry was trapped, and he was going to go in a horrible way, and he could do nothing. It was torture, for both of them. 

Apparently, word had got out about Barry nearly drowning some other times, and now it was a popular way to neutralise him, stop him. Throw him into some deep water, see how much it takes until speed boy stops struggling and breathing. And Barry was so incredibly tired of this, of feeling he couldn't breathe anymore, of that sensation of powerlessness of feeling the lights go out. And those bastards were making Clark watch as he died, slowly, and in a very undignified way. 

It was horrible, and all Barry could do was try to break through that glass with his powers and strength. But it wasn't working, none of it was working, and he was getting more and more desperate and feeling more and more unable to do anything that worked. The water was everywhere, the water that was his absolute enemy, and he could do nothing other than kick and thrash and hope for a miracle. 

Clark was fighting against himself, fighting against the pain in all of his restraints, fighting against the light headedness the kryptonite was producing, fighting against all of it, to try and get through. The pain of seeing Barry trying to get free and failing, the terror in his expression was much worse than any physical pain he might be feeling. He couldn't let the boy die, and he couldn't bear to see him suffer like that. He only managed fall from the chair he was on and fall next to the rocks forming the circle, weakening him even more. He whispered a deaf no, feeling utterly hopeless. He needed to save his friend, he had to....

And suddenly there a commotion, and some men being taken by a lasso. Diana, thank god.  
She was starting to kick the rocks away from him, but that was not important. 

“Get to Barry.” Clark managed to say and Diana looked up and her expression changed to one of horror. 

She immediately broke the glass and took her team mate, looking for signs of life. When she found none, she started with resuscitation. 

1,2,3, nothing. 

“Come on, Barry, come on, boy” 

She'd done something similar to this before, and the memory hurt. 

1,2,3, nothing. 

“Don't leave us now.”

Clark appeared behind her, still weak, but hoping. 

And then, a cough, some retching, and many more coughs. Diana went to check on the civilians after smiling at the boy and Clark asked Barry how he was feeling. But this time, there was no fun comment. 

Barry simply dissolved into tears in his team mates arms, tired of the fear and the pain. Tired of the scars in his lungs.

 

+1

The next Barry fell into the sea, a bubble opened up, protecting his semi conscious body and guiding him and gently pushing him towards the surface. There was no water in his lungs, no frantic swimming, no fear that he would pass out. He almost felt like he was hearing a lullaby of sorts, softened by the water around him. Odd. 

He told this his team mates the next day.

“I mean, maybe it was a dream, but...”

“No dream.” Aquaman said. “I...asked some people I knew. You won't be hurt while you are in the ocean. In any ocean.”

Barry's eyes widened to ridiculous proportions.

“You asked the sea not to let me drown? Dude, THANK YOU!”

“But I can only control the oceans, pool and lakes you're on you own, huh? Nah, who am I kidding, you're never on your own. We got your back.”

“Yes, but if would be nice if you stopped almost dying at some point.” Bruce mentioned. “I'm an older fellow. My heart can't take it.”

Barry smiled awkwardly, muttered a sorry under his breath. 

“We cannot lose you. Not to water, not to anything else.” Diana said, and meant it. “So just... try to be careful. But know that we're there for you, no matter what.”

And Barry was crying again, but this time he wasn't hurting, or in agony, or exhausted. 

This time, it was tears of joy.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Feedback means the worlddddddddd
> 
> Back in June with Wonder Woman, I wrote a little fic about Diana saving Barry from drowning and suddenly in the justice league   
> movie there was an actual line about Barry being afraid of it??? I had to jump at the opportunity!


End file.
